Artemis's Eagle Bearer
by Darkness's Blade
Summary: Two, who have a sworn duty to what they both believe in and would go to the ends of the earth to see their goals realized. Such a path would make love and companionship a unrealistic luxury that most could not afford. Good thing most did not have an eagle that could have very well been Zeus's given what it accomplished. Alexios/Daphnae. Assassin's Creed Odyssey. HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

Eagle Bearer, that was one of the many titles that the misthios had gotten over the years; one in which most have heard every so often. At first Alexios, didn't really like the name, it was named after an eagle who he had no idea where it came from nor would said eagle even remotely listen to the mercenary.

When the spartan had noticed the eagle at first they bickered all the time. Alexios would sometimes even try to spear the eagle, who would respond with some _aerial wrath_ so frequently the misthios couldn't go outside. Sooner or later they reached a truce when the eagle landed himself into a trap and was going to be eaten by a wolf, not wanting the eagle to die Alexios ran while waving his spear hoping to scare off the predator.

If it worked on birds, why not anything else? Such was the mindset of a child.

The wolf of course backed off and squared itself to face its new opponent. Using the opportunity, the spartan child quickly cut the rope binding the eagle's leg and turned to face the predator. In hindsight, the misthios couldn't believe he actually thought he could kill a wolf on his own with a broken spear.

As. A. Child.

Needless to say when the wolf charged and pinned Alexios under its paws, did the child understood the phrase 'biting off more than you could chew.' The dangerous silver predator was ready to rip the child's head off when it heard a shrill cry that made Alexios's ears vibrate. the eagle dive bombed out of the sun with his talons at the ready, to return the favor to the child who saved his life.

The wolf couldn't act fast enough when the eagle plunged his talons into the wolf's eyes blinding it. Snarling and writhing its head, the wolf managed to toss off the eagle and was about to run in the direction of its scent when it felt a spear running through its underbelly. Alexios had put in all his strength into stabbing the wolf and gave it a couple of twists until the mighty beast had fallen to the ground, unmoving.

Shakily picking himself up, the child approached the wolf spear first waiting for it to spring up and attack again. Poking the wolf warily, Alexios waited for sign of movement from the predator. Upon seeing none the child sighed in relaxation knowing the mighty beast had been defeated and would not be getting back up. It was at that moment, Alexios heard a flapping sound and noticed the eagle flying past him and perching himself on the corpse to face his savior.

At first the two stared at one another for a moment before, the child broke the silence. "You've been following me since I've gotten here, even Markos said you were circling above me on the shore." The eagle of course said nothing but tilted his head to the side, a inquisitive gesture. "You could go anywhere yet you stay here with me, why is that?" The eagle responded with what seemed to be a shrug of his wings in response to his question.

 _So he can understand me._

Alexios hesitantly reached his hand out for the eagle, as the creature in question locked his eyes on the appendage. When the spartan child's hand was over the eagle's head the appendage stopped and the child began looking intensely at the eagle. The creature looked at the hand for a moment then back at the child for a moment before rubbing his head on the hand affectionately. Alexios smiled as the relationship between them had improved, going from butting heads to fighting side by side.

"You know I never told you my name, i'm Alexios what is your name?" The eagle tilted its head for a moment before flying off and began circling around the child, before landing on the corpse again. "So you're saying you're going to follow me wherever I go?" The eagle screeched in affirmation, which made Alexios come up with a name.

"I'm gonna call you Ikaros." The eagle Ikaros screeched and took off into the air as the child ran after his lifelong companion. From that day on they were inseparable as the years went by Alexios became stronger while Ikaros became more connected to the spartan. He didn't know when nor did he know how but one day, he discovered that he could look through the eagle's eyes. It shouldn't have been possible but he could do it anytime he wished. It had helped over the years, the amount of danger he avoided because of Ikaros was astounding and rumors of it spread, that's how he came to be known as the Eagle Bearer.

So when Ikaros decided to suddenly take off and begin circling something, and refused to let the misthios see what he was circling, there was no way he couldn't check it out. So when all he saw was a woman who was examining an animal pelt, he raise an eyebrow as Ikaros planted itself on his shoulder and let out a shrill screech alerting the woman to his presence.

With the speed and grace of Athena, she turned around while unsheathing her sword then had the blade against the misthios's neck. Face to face, the spartan didn't know why _he_ was the one that was out of breath, the only movement he made was raising his hands in a peaceful manner. Perhaps it was the way she fluidly moved that made him breathless or maybe it was the fact she was _beautiful._ Her raven hair was pulled into a low bun, with her burning hazel eyes fixed onto him, her face looked to be crafted with clay by legendary sculptors with her tan skin perfectly shaded.

Her figure was that of a hunter, lean and powerful. Her eyes had years of experience behind them, yet there was not a single wrinkle on her body. She was wearing what seemed to be a hunting outfit made from leather stitched with string under the white overalls. Yet they did not conceal her figure whatsoever which made the spartan lose his words when he had a quick look of her before she was so close to him.

"This is sacred ground. You should not be here." Alexios could only open his mouth and close it in astonishment, he has _never_ froze up in his entire life and now he couldn't even speak. The woman pushed the blade into his neck slightly to emphasis her patience beginning to wane. "Well? Either leave or tell me what you want. Who are you?"

Ikaros seeing his companion freeze, bit his ear to jolt him out of his stupor. "Malaka!" Sending the eagle a quick glare, Alexios stepped away from the blade and rubbed his ear with a scowl on his face. "A misthios. I'm not here to start trouble but if that's what you want then I'll end it." He sounded strong when he said it, maybe he'll buy Ikaros some grapes later.

The woman's eyes glinted for a moment at the display, he couldn't tell if it was amusement or something else but her hard edge returned. "Your name?" The spartan straightened out and squared his shoulders to look somewhat respectable as he introduced himself. "I'm Alexios." Ikaros, who hadn't moved from the misthios shoulder the entire time, screeched alerting the two that he was still there. "This is Ikaros, because of him, I'm called the Eagle Bearer."

The woman relaxed upon hearing the name Eagle Bearer and sheathed her sword before introducing herself. "I am Daphnae, leader of the Daughters of Artemis, and _you_ are maybe exactly who I've been looking for." Raising an eyebrow, Alexios wondered what she could have meant by that. "And who would that be?"

"A warrior, a hunter. One who straddles our world and the gods'. One who will meet my challenge." The spartan tried, he _really_ tried to not think of the next string of thoughts that flashed in his mind but unfortunately it was like someone wrote his thoughts out into the sky for all of Greece to see.

 _If it's you whose straddling, I'll meet your every challenge._

Alexios may have had a few _encounters_ before but he could usually keep his mind focused on his tasks and not fantasies. This was not one of those times, he was blessed his face didn't change and he reminded himself of what her title was.

Daphnae, the _leader_ of the Daughters of _Artemis,_ the goddess of the hunt, wilderness, the moon, and _virginity_. That essentially made her a lost cause if it came to having a future with her, if the spartan even wanted that. Back to the present, she presented a challenge, and maybe it was the spartan blood in him, he jumped at the chance to meet her challenge. Putting on a confident grin, he answered her with his chest puffed out.

"When you say it like that, how can I not accept?" Daphnae smiled at the display and his acceptance of her challenge. "There is a boar not too far from here, kill it and bring me its pelt." Alexios's chest deflated, a _pig,_ that's her challenge? "A pig, you want me to kill a pig?" The beautiful woman had a melodious laugh at his expression. "This is no ordinary boar, west of here is a cliff, scale it and you will see your prey."

Ikaros not needing to be even asked flew off ahead and before long was circling something. Alexios was about to look through the eagle's eyes but Ikaros had flown back down to land on _Daphnae's_ shoulder. The spartan's jaw dropped, never before has the eagle ever decided to land on someone else's shoulder. He'll hop away from Phiobe but would outright attack Markos should he get to close, Barnabas would get a screech while Herodotus would just be ignored as the eagle flew away from the historian.

"It looks like I have a new admirer." Alexios couldn't deny he enjoyed seeing her smile but frowned when he called Ikaros and the eagle would not budge. "Ikaros, come. We have a boar to kill." Again the eagle would not budge but that wasn't all, no the eagle had the _audacity_ to rub his head against Daphnae's neck. The beautiful woman laughed as she watched the misthios turn away grumbling about traitorous eagles.

Daphnae rubbed his head before walking into a structure up the hill they were on that happened to be a temple of Artemis. Sitting on a bench inside the woman looked into the eagle's eyes with a smile. "Do you believe Alexios will be victorious?" Ikaros screeched in what seemed to be an affirmation of its companion's strength. Seemingly to share the spartan's ability to understand the eagle, Daphnae laughed. "Such faith, I sincerely hope it's not misplaced.

On the cliff to the west, the spartan was still grumbling about Ikaros. "All those years and a pretty face is more important than my life, _makales_ eagle." The spartan intentionally kept the fact he fell for her beauty also out of his mind as he finally made it to the top. At first he couldn't see past all the tall grass in front of him but when he waddled through it, there was a large patch of wetland in front of a cave.

No boar in sight Alexios took a few steps into the water toward the cave opening when heard a deep and loud roar. The roar sounded like it came from a full grown grizzly bear but what came out the cave wasn't a bear. Hell, the spartan would rather _have the bear_ then what came out of the cave. It was the boar, and when he says the boar, he means _the boar._ This monster was bigger than a bear with tusks longer than daggers.

With a loud roar the boar sprinted towards the misthios, something so big had no right being that fast. Diving to the side Alexios, could feel the ground shake as the legendary beast ran past him. Unsheathing his weapons, the spartan readied himself to fight the boar. "The one time Ikaros decides to like someone I get to fight a boar worthy of Heracles himself, I should've sacrificed the eagle at that temple of Artemis."

As if Zeus heard his crude joke the boar charged again towards the spartan who let out a battle cry as he ran forward with his broken spear in hand.


	2. Chapter 2

Daphnae and Ikaros were still sitting on the bench when they heard the sound of hooves stomping toward them. The hunter was about to ready her bow when she realized that it was the spartan on horseback carrying a thick bundle. The man's face had an exasperated look as he stopped in front of them and heaved the heavy bundle onto his shoulder. He pat the horse next to him while looking at Ikaros pointedly.

"It's nice to have a _loyal_ companion on your journey, one who'd _never_ abandon their friends to rest with a beautiful woman while their friends are fighting for their lives." Ikaros screeched in retaliation from Daphnae's shoulder, seemingly angered by the accusation. The woman herself had an amused smile before her eyes twinkled when she recognized the thick bundle on the man's shoulder.

"Could it be, the Kalydonian Boar?" Alexios seemed to push out his chest in pride as he presented the pelt of the mighty creature. "Your eyes do not deceive you, this is indeed the boar you wished to be slain. I must admit, it was a lot bigger than I expected it to be, however I remain triumphant." Daphnae accepted the skin and began to inspect it, her eyes tracked the myriad of cuts and holes that no doubt came from the broken spear on the spartan's back. She turned to look at him to see a stray cut here and there on his arms and legs, but nothing significant enough to show he had too much trouble with the beast.

"You are quite skilled of that there is no doubt." Alexios knew it could never happen but what was the harm in trying? "I have many talents, of that you can be sure." The huntress showed her amused smile once again at his words. "Oh, is that so? Well I look forward in putting all of them to the test." The spartan actually wasn't expecting that response nor the _suggestive_ images that plagued his mind for a moment. Fighting to keep a straight face the misthios coughed in his hand to clear his throat before speaking. "And what do you have in mind?"

Daphnae eyes twinkled once again as she took a step forward and whispered. " _Many things._ " The spartan had to fight _hard_ to keep his composure and not give anything away but some things were out of his control. Good thing he wore a thick waist belt, as long as his face remained impassive he'd give away nothing. Chuckling for a moment at something, Daphnae's crossed her arms as she began to speak in a normal tone.

"But first, back to business. There are beasts that roam this world, but are not fully of it. They've been placed here by the gods as trials - as tests." Alexios' eyes widened, there are _more_ of those monsters? Perhaps they were Heracles' and he decided to release them again to see who would be stupid enough to attempt to face the animals that made him so legendary.

"Neither god nor mortal has stopped me so far from reaching my destiny, but I don't think it wise to hunt the same creatures Heracles did. Especially since one actually guards the underworld." Daphnae laughed heartily at the spartan's words with the man himself raising an eyebrow in confusion. "These are different trials, not as dangerous mind you but still quite legendary. You are only proving yourself to Artemis, so it's only the hunt you need to worry about."

Perhaps it was the spartan in him talking but Alexios took some offense at the idea of him having to prove himself to something or someone. "I don't need to prove myself to anything, what incentive do I have to even do so?" The huntress seemed to admire the fire in his eyes as she went back to the temple of Artemis and beckoned him to follow her. The spartan tried to keep his eyes off the way her hips swept side to side but it was Ikaros flying over to him that broke him out of the woman's hypnotic spell.

"Oh now you want to be my trusted companion, I was going to buy you some grapes because of you snapping me out of my trance earlier but you can forget that now." Ikaros screeched at him which caused Alexios recoil away from the shrill tone. It was just like the old days with those two bickering minus the spear threats and flying artillery, the huntress looked back at them and it warmed her heart to see how close they were.

Artemis was a goddess in tune with most if not all animals, such was the standard for the Daughters of Artemis. She remembered her sisters having trouble bonding with the wildlife often, even her best still had friction between them and their animals. However these two, seemed to be so in tune that one was an extension to the other, _that_ was what the Daughters of Artemis strived for. This made her hopeful that the misthios could complete her trials and accept his reward, but part of her, a small part hoped he'd back down from the challenge.

The spartan entered the temple and was met with Daphnae's exquisite back, he didn't get a very long view when she turned around and was holding a unique bow. The bow was beautiful, it almost seemed to be made out of deer antlers given the myriad of points on the bow. The grip was covered in leather that Alexios could identify the material came from different animals. The string was thickly woven fur, that was so finely woven it was as small as the bowstring on his own bow.

"With each pelt you return I'll grant you a boon from Artemis, this bow being the first. If you are able to slay all the beasts - well, let's say your relationship with the Daughters of Artemis will be forever changed…" _for better or worst._ Daphnae was able to keep the smile on her face when she explained yet that small thought in the back of her head dimmed the glint in her eyes. The spartan accepted the bow but raised an eyebrow at her expression for a moment, debating something she couldn't have known until giving his answer.

"All right I'll do it. Now how many of these animals are out there?"

 _So it begins, may the gods be merciful._

"Artemis has laid out eight trials, and you've already begun the journey. Hunt those that remain."

"How will I recognize these creatures, are they all boars?"

The huntress laughed at the look on his face, the spartan did not seem to like boars very much. "There is only one more boar and trust me when I tell you, you'll know them when you see them. This journey may take months or even years to complete, should you decide to abandon the trial please come back and tell me." The misthios puffed his chest out to put on a confident front. "Why would I abandon this, like I said no mortal or god has stopped me before, you can expect those pelts back soon."

The display did bring a smile to the huntress' face but in the back of her mind, she was reminded of what would come at the end of the trial. "Then I shall await your return with my sisters, the Daughters of Artemis. I hope you don't make me wait too long to see your face again, mighty beast slayer." With that, Daphnae walked out of the temple before whistling a bit, another horse raced up the trail and let her mount it. With a final smile and wave, the huntress spurred her horse forward leaving Alexios and Ikaros alone in the woods.

The spartan put his hands on his hips as the woman began to disappear in the distance. "That's some woman." Ikaros seemed to agree given the shorp chirp he made. The misthios looked at the eagle then back at the direction Daphnae rode off in before offhandedly asking. "Do you think I got a shot?" Ikaros promptly took off and began to fly towards the Valley of the Snake where he had a clue that Elpenor would be located. "I guess that will have to wait won't it?" Mounting Phobos, Alexios spurred his horse to keep up with Ikaros unaware of the sets of eyes that were watching him.

The eyes mounted their horses before retreating into the forest to a camp that had straw huts and animal skins hanging around. Dismounting their horses, the eyes were revealed to be women dressed in hunter clothing made from animal pelts. The women entered the biggest hut to see Daphnae kneeling next to the Kalydonian boar pelt with her back to them.

"Well?" The tone was flatter than the one she took with the misthios, this tone was authoritative, short, and to the point. The women kneeled to the huntress as the one in front spoke first. "He matches the description of what our sisters have reported. The misthios who single handedly secured after crippling Megaris and aided the spartans in taking control of the region. There are also reports of his time in Kephallonia, the broken spear he adorns is his primary means of attack with the eagle being seen around him."

Daphnae nodded but did not turn around, she waved a hand which was a signal dismissing the women. All except two remained, one was a ebony haired woman with dark skin while the other wore a bear pelt to cover her face. "I assume there is more you would like to discuss?" The two looked at one another for a moment for the ebony beauty spoke first while choosing her words carefully.

"My lady, with no disrespect are you sure he should be the one that undergoes these trials? Yes, he is a force to be reckoned with in battle but he is a misthios. His loyalty can easily be bought with drachme, upon securing Megaris he was offered a private audience with their general, the Wolf of Sparta. After leaving the region, the general disappeared, and in this region the misthios has been looting spartan camps, killing their soldiers, and eroding their foothold here for the Athenians. What guarantee is there he won't turn on us if someone presented enough drachme to do so?" Those were all valid points, and normally she would have agreed to such a sentiment, no matter how she felt about him.

Until she got to sit with Ikaros.

In the short time she had with the eagle, she couldn't be inspect the magnificent creature. Ikaros' feathers were healthy as he was strong, obedient, and perceptive to his surroundings. There were scars here and there but the way his feathers felt when she ran her hand through them, spoke volumes of the care and dedication the misthios has spent on that eagle. Their interactions with one another proved their commitment to one another, if the spartan was capable of such care then how bad could he really be?

"I understand your concerns Tanya, however I do believe he is the one. That being said, relay to the other sisters to dig into his background as you see fit and defend your territories should he trespass. But do not engage unless physically provoked and if he asks for assistance in his journey then guide him." Tanya and the other huntress nodded their head as they exited the hut leaving Daphnae alone with the boar pelt. When she could hear all the Daughters get out of the immediate area, she let out a sigh as a pair of brown eyes materialized in her mind.

 _I am nothing without my vows to Artemis, if he completes his journey, I will not hesitate. Nothing will stop what must be done; no eagle, no man, nothing. Even if my own feelings decide to stand in Artemis' way, they will be cut down._

 **Hey guys another update I know it's kind of short but what can you do, there isn't much I can do given how the game went. This fanfic will hopefully be done before December because it shouldn't be very long but long enough to build on their relationship, so there will be spoilers of the game if you haven't played it I'll write them down as needed. Please review and stay tuned.**


	3. Chapter 3

It honestly took Alexios a lot more time than he expected to find the first of the so called 'trials of Artemis'. Kallisto the bear was massive, easily could've been mistaken for a thick tree in the dark. After a dance with the terrible creature, the misthios finally retrieved the pelt and was on his way back to Phokis to meet Daphnae. Barnabas had asked why they were going to another region simply for a bear pelt, the spartan simply told him that he was getting something in return.

The old man accepted this, however Herodotus didn't and asked more privately why they went so far for a pelt. Not wanting to lie to the historian, Alexios explained to him about the Daughters of Artemis and their trials. Conveniently, he was able to leave out Daphnae because he'd rather avoid bringing up a lost cause if she was one. So now he was riding Phobos toward the temple where they met months ago and hoped she'd still be there.

When Ikaros promptly flew ahead towards the temple and didn't return for quite some time, Alexios spurred Phobos to go faster. The only person Ikaros would stay with besides him had to be her so, if he didn't return after flying ahead them she must be there. The misthios finally arrived at the temple and was once again greeted by the huntress' exquisite back as she rubbed Ikaros on his head. Hearing the spartan dismount his horse, Daphnae turned with a alluring smile on her face as she walked up to the man.

"Beast Slayer, I am glad to see you!" The misthios was pleasantly surprised she even remembered him. As he was tracking the Cult, her beautiful image began to fade in his mind, however when he heard of the giant bear, the memory of the huntress exploded in his mind. He had assisted Perikles by securing the region around Athens then obtained some new leads on finding his mother. When he heard the tale of the massive bear, he set out to hunt and secure the pelt.

He honestly considered the possibility she wouldn't be here, waiting. He halfway expected that he'd have to track her down but it seems the gods were on his side. "Daphnae, I didn't think you'd be." The huntress accepted the pelt and inspected both it and the man to get an idea of the battle the two shared. "The path I set you on is fraught with danger. You could have been killed, or given up."

 _I actually began to hope you did quit, but you never returned._

Alexios answered with a sincere expression as he took a step forward, enough to be in arm's reach but not able to breath on her. "No danger could have kept me from seeing you again, whether it be god or mortal, it won't stop me if you're at the end of that path." His action had her looking at him with a coy expression before responding. "Maybe you're getting ahead of yourself. Maybe..."

The spartan's face split into a grin as he thought maybe he did have a shot. The huntress turned back to the bear pelt as she ran her fingers through the fur as she absent mindedly began speaking about it.

"I wish I'd had the chance to see this creature in the wild, it must have been stunning." Alexios was staring intently at the huntress as the next words came out of his mouth without much thought. "There are other far more beautiful things on this earth." Daphnae turned toward the misthios and took a step forward so now they were chest to chest, staring intently at one another. "And wild?" She whispered.

 _I would certainly hope so._

"If not, then where would be the challenge in pursuing it?" The two stared at each other before hearing a shrill screech from Ikaros, who flew in between them and landed on the ground. Daphnae had an amused expression on her face while Alexios had a scowl aimed at the eagle.

"Well if you are up for a challenge, how about we have one right now?" The spartan looked up at the huntress as she picked up her bow and a quiver of arrows.

"What's the challenge?" Daphnae smiled as she gestured towards the edge of the cliff behind the temple of Artemis that housed a great view of the forest around them. "There are many wildlife in this area and my sisters are preparing for a ceremony, one which will require a large amount of game. Ordinarily I would assign this to a few of my sisters but why not ask the mighty Beast Slayer to assist me?" The teasing expression on her face lightened his heart as he puffed out his chest and exaggerated each step as if he was Zeus himself.

"Well I wouldn't mind helping a damsel in distress if that is what she wants." The huntress scoffed as the two were now on the edge overlooking the forest. After a moment, the two could see some movement in the bushes right under them. What came out was a cute little rabbit eating some berries. Silent as a ghost, the huntress pulled out an arrow from her quiver, notched it into her bow and pulled the drawstring back. Breathing slowly and purposefully, the string slipped from her relaxed fingers and sent the arrow flying directly into the heart of the small creature below.

"We each take a shot at the creatures around, the one with the furthest kill wins. Sound simple enough?" Alexios shrugged and pulled the bow he received from her and with no trouble killed a rabbit a few feet further from Daphnae's. "So what's the prize when I win?" The huntress said nothing as she notched another arrow and took down an ibex even further away from the spartan's kll. "I don't know, you should come up with my prize soon." That's when it started, the two began hunting from the cliff killing animals further and further away until Daphnae finally missed a rabbit.

Alexios took a deep breath and lined his shot with a rabbit even further away from the one he previously killed. If he managed to connect with this one, then he'd win, but when looking at the distance it was a pretty far shot. The huntress beside him had took on an expression of intent focus on his body. The way he held the bow, breathed, and steadied himself. As if she was studying him, it slightly unnerved him but it also made him focus more.

 _I won't fail with her next to me._

Confident with the position his arrow was in, the spartan let go of the arrow and watched intently as it traveled. For a moment time slowed as Alexios could imagine himself being the arrow as it glided towards the target, there were a multitude of ways it could veer off target but it seemed to remain true. When the two hunters saw the small rabbit fall in the distance, both actually let out a breath they've been holding.

The spartan turned with a shit-eating grin on his face as he placed his hands on his hips after putting away his bow. "So my damsel in distress what is my prize?" Daphnae chuckled a bit before facing the misthios. "Close your eyes and you'll receive it." Almost like a child, Alexios closed his eyes and waited to receive his reward. There was one reward in particular he was hoping for and tried not to give it away as he kept his face neutral and waited for the huntress.

The spartan got the next best thing, he felt a soft like object against his cheek for a brief moment before it left his face. Slowly open his eyes after a moment, the huntress was walking down the trail likely to go collect their game. The Eagle Bearer jogged to catch up with her and decided to help gather their spoils, it took time to collect the creatures they killed and get them on their horses. Once they finished, the two hunters mounted their respective horses and the huntress lead them deeper into the forest.

"What I'm about to show you is a closely guarded secret that I would ask you not to disclose to anyone." The spartan felt that the woman next to him was going out on a limb judging by the stern expression on her face. Nodding his head, Ikaros landed on his shoulder and chirped seemingly supporting his lifetime companion.

Daphnae accepted this and began leading them off the road into the forest that had low thick trees. Slowing down to a trot, Alexios was right on her trail looking around trying to look past the deep foliage but failing. While he was following his thoughts began to echo loudly in his head, as he thought to himself.

 _I wonder where she's taking me, would it be too much to hope it'll be a secret rendezvous? Yeah, I probably shouldn't get my hopes up._

It wasn't long until Daphnae began to slow down in front of what seemed to be a gate to a small settlement. Inside there were straw huts with pelts and game strung up outside and a large site for a bonfire in the center of the settlement. There were women going about their tasks when they stopped to see the spartan trotting behind Daphnae.

The huntress either didn't notice or simply ignored it as she dismounted her horse and began handing out their spoils to a few of the other huntresses. Alexios dismounted Phobos, and picked up all the game on his horse which was about six rabbits and slung the rope that tied them all together on his shoulder then walked up to Daphnae.

"Where would you like these?" The misthios tried to pretend he didn't notice the way everyone was staring at him as if he was a god or something, but he'd flick his eyes up every so often to confirm they were still looking at him. Daphnae turned to an ebony huntress who had her hair braided in a fashion reminiscent of Deimos.

 _ **Kassandra**_ _, her name is Kassandra. Those monsters turned her into something she isn't, I'll get her back, along with our mother. We_ _ **will**_ _be a family again._

"Tanya here will show you, she'll also acquaint you with the sisters. I have some matters to attend to but I won't be long. Until then try to stay out of trouble beast slayer." With a coy smile and wave the lead huntress sauntered off and left the misthios with the ebony beauty. Alexios tried smiling to at least give off the impression he wanted to get along but the dead look on the woman's face killed the gesture.

Without a word, Tanya turned and walked into another hut not looking back to even check if the mithios was behind her. Still being the spectacle of the day, the spartan hurried behind the huntress and entered to see more women servicing the kills that Daphnae and him brought. The pelts were being stripped carefully and purposefully in a way that left the meat unmarred.

The meat was cut into even strips as they were laid out to be cleaned then cooked. Alexios handed the rabbits to the women who began to stare at him in bewilderment but a pointed look from Tanya sent them back to work. After doing so Tanya coughed to get the spartan's attention as she walked through the huts entrance. The misthios quickly followed behind the huntress as she walked around the settlement, to the women tending to their tasks.

So far Tanya hadn't said a single word to introduce him to any of the women, normally it wouldn't bother him to not be known. That would bring a lot less trouble if no one bothered to ask about him, however in this instance the spartan was curious about the Daughters of Artemis. As well as why the women here looked like they've never seen a male before.

 _Well besides animal males._

The misthios didn't notice at first but there were a myriad of animals around the settlement, mostly wolves and dogs. He may have seen a bear footprint a while ago. The animals placed themselves out of reach of any huntress and clustered together as if them and the huntresses had an uneasy alliance.

 _For hunters who worship Artemis, they should be more familiar with them._

As if Ikaros could read his mind, the eagle flew down and perched on his shoulder drawing even more looks from the women. It might've been the spartan's imagination but Ikaros seemed to enjoy the attention because he spread his wings and let out a loud prideful cry that Alexios was certain the whole settlement heard.

"So this is the eagle that you were named for." The misthios didn't recognize the voice and would've looked around for the source if he wasn't the target of an intense stare Tanya was giving him. Maybe it was starting to be a trend but it seemed that Ikaros became his wingman whenever it came to the Daughters of Artemis. So far wherever he it was at an opportune moment, the eagle would appear and either assist the misthios or just annoy him for kicks.

Focusing back on the huntress, Alexios responded to her. "Yes this is Ikaros, I've been with him ever since I was a child."

"Before or after Mount Taygetos?"

Out of all the things he was expecting she would say _that_ wasn't one of them. Just how could she have possibly known about Mount Taygetos? The expression on his face must've given away what he was thinking because Tanya continued.

"The months following the beginning of your trials, we asked our sisters all over the Greek world to look into your background. Not that there is much to go on, but there are some significant things such as; your home in Kephallonia, Markos, that orphan Phiobe, your journey to Megaris, and your involvement in both sides of the war." At first, Alexios felt somewhat hurt that Daphnae had not just asked him about his past but just looked into it without telling him. If she was hiding this behind his back what else was she hiding?

However on some level he understood, she was the _leader_ of the Daughters of Artemis and the fact that they knew so much meant they had a lot of influence or hunters all across the Greek world. So she would have to ensure their safety and he has been making a name for himself on both sides of the war, usually for a profit or his own personal gain. She also showed him a location of one of her hidden settlements that he wouldn't have found without expending a great deal of effort. That showed she somewhat trusted him despite his actions and what he's done in the past, so he guess he could not get upset about them looking into him.

Back to Tanya, she was watching his thoughtful expression, likely looking for any cracks and insight upon what he was thinking. "I understand, I am a stranger after all. I assume that what you found wasn't enough to earn your scorn." Tanya's response was flat and left no room for argument.

"My lady has expressed that she believes you will succeed in your trials and that we should welcome. I have informed her of your background and she still believes that you aren't a risk to the Daughters of Artemis. That being said she has given us permission to investigate you as well as attack should you trespass. We will follow our lady's orders, however I believe that all that concerns you is the amount of drachme you will receive. You've betrayed both the spartans and the athenians multiple times, all for profit no less. We will not hinder you but I will make this clear now, should you pose a threat to my sisters…"

Tanya stepped up to the misthios with a small blade at his throat, her eyes burning and her words were a dangerous whisper. "... _I will end you_. You may have survived a fall off a mountain but you will not survive my blade that will _never_ rest until it ends your pathetic life." She honestly reminded the spartan of his sister, the look in her eyes conveyed undying conviction as well as taut fury that would probably never be sated.

Ikaros didn't take his eyes off the woman but the misthios could feel the talons on his shoulder, slightly tightening as if the eagle was getting angry.

 _Nice to know you got my back._

A tense moment passed before the huntress pulled her blade from the man's throat and her eyes turned back into the empty ones he's seen all day. Now he knew better, she was schooling her expression to not show how she really felt. There were probably others who thought the same of him but Daphnae trusted him enough to bring him here. That along with Ikaros on his shoulder gave him all the support he needed while he was among the huntresses.

Tanya led him back to Daphnae who was waiting outside the largest hut with her hands behind her back. The ebony beauty slightly bowed before moving away and leaving the two alone once again. "I trust you enjoyed meeting my sisters." There wasn't a smile on her face, it was a measured look as if she knew what Tanya had said.

While he wasn't upset she went behind his back and looked into him nor was he angered by the threat he received; he wanted to know where she stood. Such a conversation would take time and privacy, two things that seemed to be running out as the sky began to darken. "There are some things I wish to speak to you about. Alone."

"Of course, but it will have to wait after our feast tonight, we are performing a ceremony for one of our sisters advancing in our ranks. Seeing as the day is beginning to turn to night, it would be in your best interest to attend the ceremony." Daphnae added a small smile to possibly assure the misthios but the man retained the same skeptical look.

"Are you sure that your sisters wouldn't object?" The huntress stared into his eyes for a moment before responding. "They know of the Eagle Bearer, not Alexios. Show them what I see in you and they'll accept you as I have."

"And what is it exactly that you see in me?"

Daphnae took a step forward before leaning to whisper in his ear. "A loyal and kindred spirit who has endured much hardship but hasn't let it destroy his kindness." She leaned back to give him a bigger smile before gesturing to the large bonfire site that the other huntresses began to lite. Ikaros flew to her shoulder before looking back at the spartan who walked over to join them.

 **Hey guys, I finally updated in the 11 days i've published this story i've gotten 100 views. That's amazing I hope to maybe get to 500+ around Christmas, I'm REALLY hoping for a review so please drop one.**


	4. Chapter 4

The feast was uplifting as the huntresses danced around the large bonfire, Daphnae was at the head of the celebration sitting in a regal posture overseeing the celebration. Next to her was Ikaros, picking at an assortment of fruit and screeching at any huntress save Daphnae who got to close. Alexios was at the edge of the settlement looking out at the Daughters of Artemis, he was content to wait they finished so he could speak with Daphnae.

As he waited he thought of what he'd might say. Would he ask about her sisters, maybe he'd ask for help in locating his mother? There was one thing he was sure to ask about; Does she know anything about the Cult of Kosmos? It was a long shot but if she uncover information about him through the scraps he left behind in his lifetime, they could very well be able to track the Cult.

His own efforts in tracking the Cult were fifty-fifty at best. He had tracked a few members and eliminated them however there were always more. Each kill would reward him with a clue to the next cultist, but the clues themselves were beyond vague. Sometimes it was as if the gods enjoyed seeing him run around blindly, grasping at straws and scarce rumors. He knew the Cult had a hand in all parts of the Greek world and then there was their secret weapon, Deimos.

 _Kassandra…_

Years ago, he hoped and prayed to all the gods for her survival so they could be a family again. He'd find her somewhere and she would instantly know that she was his sister, they'd hug, cry, and trade stories of their lives. That was what he wished for. What he got wasn't even remotely similar. All he saw was blind rage and power with the bloodlust of an entire army.

When she casually strolled in and threw Elpenor's head to the Cult, the spartan's heart stopped cold. He had fought the snake in the grass and killed him with a spear through his heart, the body was intact and easily distinguishable. The head Deimos brought back had one of its eyes pushed in with grooves on the side of its skull like someone put clamps on the head. The neck had pieces of bone sticking out with the skin being torn and ripped.

 _Kassandra tore Elpenor's head off with her bare hands._

All the warmth and love he thought he'd feel when he'd reunite with his sister was replaced with shock and fear. When Deimos proclaimed one of them a traitor, his heart refused to beat. The angry woman pulled cultist to the glowing pyramid to test them to try and find the traitor. When it was his turn, he couldn't help but obey her commands and approach her, when they touched the pyramid, she saw everything.

Every aspect of his life flashed in front of his eyes and he could feel her next to him watching everything. But the connection with both ways, while he didn't see anything he _felt_ what she felt throughout her life. There was so much pain, for so long, too long for any average person to remain sane. When their connection ceased and they both knew who the other were neither moved or spoke. Gathering what small courage he had, Alexios was able to whisper her name hoping she'd respond to her brother.

Deimos only asked who he was and dismissed him before pulling another cultist to be tested. As soon as the cultist touched the pyramid, Deimos slammed his head into the structure and began _savagely_ beating him, all the while proclaiming Alexios's crime. The spartan tried to block out the sounds the cultist's head made against the stone ground, even though he wanted to kill all of them, there was no reason to destroy a body so thoroughly.

The second time they met, Alexios tried to be positive that his sister was alive and that they had reunited. The spartan was an enemy to the cult and Deimos had the chance to end his life but chose to spare him, that must've meant something right? He was wrong, all it did was stroke Deimos's curiosity. His sister associated him as the enemy and would not hesitate to end his life should he make any fast moves.

Alexios tried to explain that he wanted to save her from falling off the mountain but the angry woman refused to believe him and chose the Cult's story that they wanted to kill her. Apparently Deimos felt he was the leader of the Cult but the spartan knew better, they were using his sister to find their mother for reasons he didn't know. He tried again to convince Deimos that they were family and should be together, but all he got was a punch to the jaw and death threats as his sister left Thera.

After explaining the situation to Barnabas and Herodotus, they sailed to Attika to get to Athens. The whole way there, Alexios couldn't help but think about how so much could go wrong in a family. First; his father tried to kill both his children, then he finds out that he isn't his real father, after that he finds his sister is alive and is on the hunt for their mother, finally a Cult orchestrated all these events just because of the blood that ran through their veins. His family hadn't even done anything, they were torn apart because of what they _could've_ done.

The only good thing that happened to him after reaching Athens was seeing Phiobe again and the new leads he was able to attain that could lead to finding his mother.

 _And...maybe finding that bear so I had an excuse to see Daphnae._

Those three things were the only consolations he had gotten after so much was dumped on him in so little time. At times it seemed that there was so much against him and while he projected a warrior who would not stop or be swayed by any force, the man behind the spear was weighed by the events in his life. Whenever the weight of the world would bear down on him and he felt the strain, he'd look to the sun while bringing his arm out for Ikaros.

The eagle had always been there, ready to help in any way. If it came down to having men behind him or having Ikaros on his shoulder, the spartan would always pick the eagle, always. Now he had friends; Markos, Phiobe, Barnabas, Herodotus, and many others. They helped him with the weight of the world and kept him moving forward despite all that would have him turn back.

 _Then there was Daphnae._

While he hasn't known her especially long, he could still feel the connection that the two shared. There was mutual understanding and something else, something that felt just _right._ It was likely that the two of them could never have a long lasting relationship, she was the leader of the Daughters of Artemis. He was a misthios who explored the world looking for a secret Cult that controlled everything in Greece. He could never stay in one place and by the way she portrayed herself to her sisters, her vows to the goddess were at the core of her being. Not to mention her sisters, notably Tanya who expressed disdain toward the spartan.

His exploits had become well known tales around the Greek world, mercenaries came far and wide for the glory of killing the Eagle Bearer. And with each mercenary he defeated, his legend grew, the spartans and athenians both paid to have him on their side even knowing he was hired by the other. Many accused him of having no sense of loyalty due to fighting for both sides of the war. This wasn't completely true; whenever the misthios would help a side secure a region, he wouldn't harass the side he helped regardless of how much drachme he was offered.

This led to continuous contracts from both sides who saw him as an honorable businessman who never betrayed his clients. Now when someone attempted to betray Alexios, all bets were off, when the spartan weakened a side in a region he'd burn their supplies and steal their national treasury. When someone betrayed him, he took his anger out on troops, destroyed weapons, and would kill the national leader in his own home surrounded by his bodyguards. He would completely demoralize the side who pushed him that far giving the other side an easy time in securing the region.

That led to nasty rumors that the spartan was a demigod who lived off war and was only second to Ares. So when he was introducing himself to a friend he'd start with just his name and not the mantle of Eagle Bearer to mitigate people's reactions. However it seems the Daughters knew all about him and what he had done and branded him as someone who was a threat to them. Daphnae was likely the only reason they hadn't attacked him on sight, but he's seen the way some of them looked at him. If he stepped out of line around them, he wasn't sure that Daphnae could stop them from throwing themselves at him.

"Enjoying yourself?"

Alexios was brought out of his thoughts by the beautiful huntress next to him. She had blonde hair that flowed freely down her shoulders with porcelain skin that housed a few thin scars. Unlike some of the looks he had gotten from the other huntresses, the woman next to him looked at him with no hate but with something else that he quite couldn't place at this particular time.

"Yes, I'm just not one for crowds." The woman's Cheshire cat smile widened a bit as she took a step closer and put a hand on the spartan's shoulder. "That makes two of us, would like to find a place more _private_?" Alexios finally registered what he saw in her eyes after what she said and took a step back with his hands up.

"Wait a moment, I thought you all worshipped Artemis, you know goddess of _virginity_. I'm not sure she'd be particularly kind if you continue what you're doing right now." The woman was not fazed and took another step forward while lightly running a hand down the misthios's arm.

"Yes, while it is true that Artemis was one for chastity, many of my sisters have embraced the carnal aspect of the hunt. To find someone with _beast like_ qualities is quite difficult as you might imagine, but someone of your stature…" The hand moved to his chestplate. "...should easily suffice."

Alexios grinded his teeth, it had been some time since he had embraced the passionate side of himself. Odessa was notably the last memorable encounter he had before meeting Daphnae. And while he was glad she turned him down when he offered her to join him on his ship, there were times he _craved_ a woman's touch. That familiar feeling was beginning to creep in the back of his head and the front of another as he reminded himself of where he was.

While the news that the sisters had many who would lose themselves to the power of Aphrodite was welcomed information, he doubted that Daphnae could be easily swayed. Looking at it realistically, they weren't exclusive to one another in any way. She was giving him a series of trials and he completed them for rewards; just another business deal. However even with that in mind, it was the thought of Daphnae that kept his base instincts in check whenever he was offered a good time.

She had responded to him positively with his advances but always skirted away like elusive prey that he barely missed. He didn't realize it but he wouldn't indulge in his desires until he confirmed whether they had a mutual attraction to one another or if it a way for her to keep him in check as he completed the trials. With little force, Alexios removed her hand from his chest before composing himself once more and spoke with no room for misinterpretation.

"While the offer is tempting, I must decline. There are far too many things that require my full attention and I can't afford any distractions." The woman frowned for a moment before her sly grin returned to her face. "Well I wouldn't want to distract you mighty misthios, but should you ever find you have time on your hands feel free to call." The woman moved to walk past him but not before leaning up to his ear and whispering.

"My name is Aya..."

She nipped his ear and went on her way, grinning when she saw his hands flex and his breathing become more shallow. She knew that look all to well, it was a man trying to keep his desires hidden when his body ached for it.

Alexios made sure his body was composed before venturing into the celebration hopefully to find Ikaros and Daphnae. The two were still at the head of the bonfire but the huntress rose to her feet and raised a hand which ceased all the dancing.

"My sisters, tonight we honor one of our own rising through the ranks of our order. She has served faithfully and improved her skills to rival the best of hunters. Her devotion to our order cannot be questioned in any way and I would be more than happy to leave her in charge of her own region because I know she would lead it with pride. To that end, I present Tanya, your new regional leader of the Daughters of Artemis!" The sisters cheered as Daphnae stepped to the side as Tanya walked with her huntress attire that had a new addition of a brown sash that was fastened by a copper plate that was reminiscent to Daphnae's silver one. A few went up to the ebony beauty to congratulate her, as Daphnae moved to her large hut with Ikaros on her shoulder.

 _Now's my chance._

Going around the sisters celebration, Alexios was able to approach the hut without bringing unnecessary attention. Pushing the cloth aside that covered the doorway he was met with Daphnae's hazel eyes as she was sitting cross legged playing with Ikaros. "Are you ready to have that talk you insisted be private?"

The spartan nodded and sat down in front of her cross legged also to be on the same level with her as he began speaking. "There are a few things I'd like to discuss, first; have you ever heard of the Cult of Kosmos?" Daphnae considered the question a moment before answering giving the misthios her full attention.

"For years there has been whispers of a Cult controlling the Greek world, but there was never any trace. My sisters have scoured the lands and could only obtain rumors that were far too unlikely to be true. That changed when we began looking into you, the men in the silver armor and purple plume helmets you've fought are the first real pieces of evidence they exist we've seen."

That was not the answer Alexios hoped for but expected. The Cult had probably just come out of hiding after he left Kephallonia, at least the Daughters seen them. That could make it what he was asking an easier request. "They are hard to find which is why I wanted to ask, if your sisters could notify me if a soldiers wearing that armor are seen in a region? It would make it easier for me to track them down instead of scouring region to region." Daphnae's face deliberated for a moment before going back to her focused facial expression.

"Alexios you must understand that the Daughters of Artemis have no desire to take a side in any war, all we wish to do is honor Artemis. While this Cult you speak of may have a hand in both sides of the war, I cannot bring the Daughters into their crosshairs by helping you. I am sorry but unless they attack us on their own volition we will not provoke them, that being said we will not assist them in their search for you, that's all I can do Alexios." Daphnae didn't miss the disappointed face on the spartan but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

"I understand, I know you cannot help me with the Cult but could you at least tell me if you have any information on the whereabouts of my mother?" Daphnae's turned grim once again and the spartan unintentionally held his breath.

"While we have looked into your background, there wasn't much we could find about your parents. Your time in Sparta is a complete mystery to us seeing as anyone who would've known you back then is most likely been silenced." Alexios let out the breath he was holding expecting some bad news.

"So you didn't know that Nikolaos was my father?"

That was something Daphnae was not expecting, while she was aware that the Wolf of Sparta had disappeared the moment he crossed paths with the misthios she assumed he had his reasons for removing the spartan general. What they knew about Mount Taygetos was that a spartan general had dropped two children off the edge, she knew Alexios was one of them but that was it. The mother, father, infant, and general's names were lost to them. She hypothesized that maybe Nikolaos was the general who dropped him off the mountain based on his disappearance but knowing that the general was Alexios's father further cemented her theory.

"While it is true that I killed the Wolf of Sparta, I didn't kill Nikolaos. After he dropped off the edge of that mountain, I spent years imagining what I'd say to him if I ever saw him again. When I won them Megaris, he personally wanted to honor the misthios who had secured them victory, imagine his surprise to see me alive. He told me that he will live and die as a spartan and that he was doing his duty, I wanted nothing more than to kill him in that moment…" Daphnae could see that telling this story weighed on his mind and showed that even under all the legends he was just a man looking for his family.

"But where would be the honor in that? So I spared him, telling him that living with the knowledge he tried to kill his family would be his punishment. Only for him to pull the rug from under my feet and tell me that he's not my real father." The huntress eyes widened at that new piece of information and wanted to ask he further elaborate but didn't want to interrupt him telling such a painful story. All she did was get up and sit down next to him while putting a hand on his shoulder, if the spartan appreciated the gesture he didn't show it.

"The last words he said to me before he left the Spartan army was to find my mother and to beware the snakes in the grass. Little did I know, he was referring to the Cult. I found the snakes and there are so many of them, and their leader Deimos is the most fearsome warrior I've ever met. I'm not sure I can defeat them but I have no choice, if I don't then everyone will suffer and I'll lose everything all over again…" Alexios finished his story with a sigh as Daphnae kept rubbing his shoulder trying to think of something to say to encourage him but her words failed her.

While he was beyond strong he was only one man, against an army, any one man will fall no matter how powerful. She wanted to help but she couldn't compromise her sisters, all she could do was sit here and let him know that he wasn't alone. "I am sorry there is nothing I can do Alexios, I really wish I could help you." The spartan turned to face her with a small smile.

"Just seeing your beautiful face is helpful enough." There it was again, that feeling the misthios always brought up in the huntress whenever he expressed his intentions for her. As the leader of the Daughters of Artemis, she knew that they could never be, but couldn't help reciprocating his advances. She knew she should pull away and keep their relationship professional but her hand had already moved to his face and she inched closer to him as he did to her.

His brown eyes hypnotically called to her as she was sure her eyes did to him. Aphrodite must have cursed her because all rational thought faded away and the only thing she could focus on was closing the distance between them. She could feel his breath when their eyes began to close and just as their lips were about to meet, the sound of screaming made both of them jump.

Turning toward the tent flap, the two sprinted out of the hut to find a huntress with an arrow in her shoulder leaning up against a post. Daphnae knelt next to her sister and swiftly pulled the arrow out of her shoulder and put pressure to stop the bleeding.

"What happened?" The huntress groaned in pain before answering. "They attacked without warning, men in dark clothes and white markings on their face. They began preaching about Ares as they continued to attack. We were able to push them out the settlement into the forest but more of them began showing up. I was on my way to warn you when I got this in my arm, there must be some left in the settlement."

No sooner had she said that the two heard a battle cry from above them as a white faced fanatic jumped from the roof of a hut with his blade aimed for the huntresses. Before Daphnae could reach for her weapons on her belt, a spear flew past her head and into the man's stomach. Yelling in pain, fanatic could only watch as the Eagle Bearer took strides to his down form and without sympathy, lifted his foot before swiftly bringing it down on his head. Crouching down the misthios removed his spear before replacing it in the sheath on his back then turned towards the two women.

"These are the Followers of Ares, they are men who have no qualms about sacrificing people to their god. I will find the others left in the settlement, you two should focus on that wound and join your sisters, I will be along shortly." Without waiting the spartan took to the roofs and the two huntresses could already hear the sound of his spear knocking away steel and groans as the fanatics fell to their death.

Daphnae quickly cleaned the wound with a vial she had under her furs and bandaged it with strips of her own attire before sending the wounded huntress on her way. Daphnae quickly retrieved her bow and quiver then was about to head into the forest when she heard a shrill cry from above. Looking up, she saw Ikaros circling a patch of trees ahead of her before flying back to the settlement to presumetedly assist Alexios.

When she ran into the forest toward the patch of trees she could hear more battle cries as well as screams of the dying as her sisters engaged the fanatics. Pulling her bowstring back, she quickly took aim and released the arrow watching with satisfaction as a fanatic gurgled on it. While she could see the corpses of her sisters were steadily increasing she was happier to to see the followers' drastically increase. It wouldn't take long before they completely routed their offensive.

Inch by inch, the Daughters of Artemis pushed back the Followers of Ares until they were almost out the forest. Daphnae was about to prepare her sisters for the final push when something caught her eye in the treeline behind her sisters. It was a black mass that made a clicking sound as it moved, she took aim at the object and tried to further identify it before firing. When the object suddenly produced a flame in its hand and revealed itself as a fanatic she released her arrow and watched the man fall to the forest ground.

The fire in his hand fell down with him and upon contact with the ground, exploded and began burning the forest. Eyes widening Daphnae quickly looked to trees again hoping she wouldn't see more fanatics. She was disappointed as more fire bombs began to light in their hands. The followers had willingly let her sisters push them back so that they could trap them with a wall of fire. No sooner had that theory ran in her mind did the fanatics in the trees let loose their firebombs cutting her off from her sisters.

The huntress was able to kill a few fanatics with well aimed arrows before they noticed her alone behind them and began shooting arrows at her. Quickly moving behind a tree, she could hear their arrows hit and slice against the barrier she put in between them. She waited for a moment, as the number of arrows died down and she inched her head out to see if she could locate the fanatics. An arrow whizzed by her head, missing her by inches as she quickly ducked back into cover.

 _I have to move._

Readying an arrow, the huntress took a calming breath before quickly leaning out of her cover and loosing a blind arrow to gain their attention then took off in the other side of her cover. Arrows dogged her steps as she jumped, weaved, and slid under the brush to avoid the deadly onslaught. As she ran, she counted the number of thunks that hit behind her and managed to deduce that there were about four more fanatics shooting at her.

Running across to a tree on her left she was able to see a black mass toward her nine o clock. As soon as she stepped behind the tree she took a step back with an arrow ready and smiled in satisfaction when she heard a body hit the forest floor. With one down and three to go, Daphnae tried to deduce what direction the arrows were coming from but she heard one of them begin to scream as a shrill cry filled the air. Inching her head out again she was happy to see Ikaros was harassing a fanatic before snapping his bowstring with his talons before flying away. That left only two archers remaining, she supposed she could wait until they ran out of arrows but she was worried about her sisters.

Steeling herself, Daphnae ran out again hoping she could get their location from them shooting at her. When no arrows came her way, she focused her ears and kept her bow at the ready while scanning the tree line. She almost missed the war cry coming from behind her.

Turning with the grace second to Artemis herself, Daphnae let loose an arrow that the fanatic was able to lift his beefy arm to block the arrow and continue his war path. For someone so large he could cover ground quite quickly as he was on her before she could draw another arrow. Swinging the large blunt he carried, the fanatic tried to take the huntress's head clean off but failed as she ducked underneath it before unsheating her swords.

Quickly sinking her dagger into the fanatic's knee she watched him crumple to a knee before bringing her sword up to slit his throat. Her opponent was able to catch her blade with his bare hand and without mind for the pain, ripped it from her grasp then took another swing with his weapon.

Rolling to the side, Daphnae grabbed the dagger and pulled it from his knee before bringing it around to cut at the brute's hand holding his weapon. With a cry of exertion, the huntress cut the brute at his wrist making his grip go slack and dropping the heavy blunt. However that didn't stop him from swinging his injured arm and catching Daphnae across the cheek and sending her sprawling to the ground with her dagger out of reach.

For a moment the world spun as she could tried to focus on regaining her bearings but the brute was already on his feet approaching her. She felt him grab her ankle and began pulling her toward him, as he dragged her she saw her bow and quiver coming up on her right. Rolling over she managed to grasp her both as she notched an arrow and took careful aim as the world still spun around her.

Feeling his baggage wiggle in his grip, the brute turned to see her aiming an arrow at the center of his forehead. Diving on top of the huntress, the brute put both hands on her throat and began to squeeze while lifting her up and slamming her head against the ground. With the brutes arms around against her chest she couldn't lift the bow high enough to get a good shot at any vital organs. She tried kicking her feet to force him off of her but the bulk of muscle on the brute was too thick.

Black dots began to show up in her vision as the brute kept slamming her against the forest ground. Before she passed out, Daphnae abandoned her bow and grasped the arrow before thrusting it into the fanatic's eye causing him to instantly release her. Ignoring the wails of pain from her opponent, the huntress tried taking in copious amounts of air before retrieving another arrow from her quiver and taking up her bow. The brute was able to block her two first attempts to kill him with an arrow, but with only one eye, he couldn't see her before she let loose an arrow that lodged itself in his throat. Gurgling the brute futilely tried pulling the arrow out but dropped before he could put actual effort into doing so.

Falling to her knees, Daphnae tried to slow her heart rate and quiet the sound of her heart in her ears. She needed to get to her sisters, it has been quite some time since she was separated. She was about to get on her feet when a rustle behind her made her turn around. She was too slow to block the blunt side of a spear smacking her across her temple, the last thing she could registered before passing out was a single sentence.

"Harpalos told us to bring her back alive, her sisters can be sacrificed when they're caught."

 **Hey guys loving the reviews its like one per chapter very nice very nice, sorry for not updating so long. I'm at my new duty station, I got a lot of paperwork to do but I can have my phone on me that's cool right. So now i'm gonna start doing chapter outlines when i got a minute to myself so I can get an idea of what to write when i'm done working. Honestly i didn't follow the chapter outline for this one, it was supposed to be the spartans attacking and the interactions between Daphnae and Alexios was supposed to be minimal but I got creative so I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.**

 **For those of you who played the game, you know that the Daughters have a large force in Phokis and Malis that outnumber the followers but in my opinion i have a harder time fighting the followers than the Daughters so I felt they could evenly match the huntress with their fewer number. Please drop a review and a favorite, I'll start working on the next chapter in two days to give this one time to get publicity. I don't know if it'll be the same length however next time i made this one longer as payback for the longer update time, but this took me only a couple of hours so hopefully I can up the length of my chapters in a timely manner.**


	5. Chapter 5

Alexios had sent Ikaros ahead to find Daphnae as he charged the nearest fanatic with his spear. The follower didn't have enough time to block the weapon going through his spine and coming out his chest. The spartan didn't even stop running as he pulled the spear out as he ran by and moved to the next fanatic and to the next. The misthios stopped when the forest around him began to smoke and burn, seeing a wall of fire coming his way, the spartan jumped forward and dodged the flames as they cut him off from the settlement.

He noticed that the Daughters of Artemis were pinned by the wall of fire and the Followers of Ares unleashing a storm of arrows at their position. Fortunately, the fanatics didn't detect the misthios and had all of their attention on the sisters which presented him with an opportunity. Sticking to the thick leaves of nearby plants, Alexios was able to go around the far side of the beach behind the followers and was able to get a good look at their forces. There were about a dozen of them in total all in archer stances pinning the remaining eight huntresses in the forest.

They were bunched up and had their backs completely to the spartan. He could in theory rushed them all at once and fight them but that would take time and he'd likely would be injured before the sisters could assist. Picking them off one at a time would take too much time and would put the huntresses in more danger. That left only one option, taking out an arrow and his spear, he touched their points together and watched as the spear began to glow. The golden glow transferred from the spear to the arrowhead before the spartan put his spear away and pulled out his bow.

He didn't know how or why but in battle his spear would sometimes glow as his blood would boil and he could sometimes do things most would not consider possible. He could stab the spear into the ground and blow away his enemies, he could heal himself, and sometimes he moved as fast as Hermes. Perhaps that's how his grandfather Leonidas was so powerful and maybe it's why the Cult feared him so much, because of the things they could do with this spear.

With his arrow imbued with the same glow as his spear, the misthios notched the arrow and pulled the string back as hard as he could. The glow began to brighten as he pulled it back further until he couldn't hold it any longer and he let the arrow fly. Time seemed to show down as arrow flew towards the group of fanatics, none noticing the imminent threat. When the arrow finally touched down in the ground between them, it exploded with the fury of Zeus. The followers were all blown away from one another, confusion spread like the plague as they could only see the arrow in the ground.

"Archer! Archer! Take cover!"

Alexios had shake off a dizzy spell the arrow gave him, it was like his blood had slowed as the arrow took strength from him. Putting his bow back, he pulled out his sword and spear then stood to his full height. Making no effort to hide himself from the Followers of Ares he shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Lay down your weapons and we won't kill you!" Generally, he wouldn't have given any warning but he wanted to buy the sisters time to right themselves. Of course he got an arrow flying past his head as a response, shrugging his shoulders the misthios raised his spear and sword together before bringing them down with a battle cry. His world had gone golden as his muscles felt lighter and everything felt slower, he charged with the fury of Ares himself.

The nearest fanatic tried to cut his head off but was completely disregarded as the spartan dodged to the side before sliding his blade across the man's throat. The next one got his legs swept from under him before a spear was brought down on his chest. The misthios felt a blade slide across his back but it didn't slow him down in the slightest, only enraged him furthered.

 _This guy is gonna get it now._

Leaping toward the fanatic with both his weapons raised, the misthios unleashed a series of cuts and stabs until finally swing his weapons so hard the man flew as his body fell apart. The other fanatics watched their comrades being slaughtered with no effort from the misthios and had the look of fear in their eyes as he turned to face them. The world had gained its color as his muscles became heavier yet he was still ready to face the remaining nine. Instead of all of them coming at once only three attacked while the other six surrounded the spartan.

Deflecting the first attack with his spear causing a bright light to ignite at the contact and blinding the other two, the misthios spartan kicked his opponent away before rushing the one to his left. The fanatic didn't have any time to mount a defense before his leg was cut off above the knee and he fell right on the broken spear the misthios had waiting. Turning his head to look behind him, the last fanatic had his sword raised and a red glint shinned off the blade in the moonlight.

Knowing there was no way to deflect the attack, the spartan rolled forward to dodge and time seemed to slow once again as the fanatic was trying to regain his stance after overextending himself. The misthios cut off the man's arm before kicking his knee, breaking it before slicing both weapons across the fanatic's neck. Taking his eyes off the decapitated fanatic, the misthios could see the one he kicked back begin to rise back to his feet. The spartan put away his sword before pulling out another arrow and sharpening the arrow against the spear head then pulled out his bow.

The arrowhead glowed a bloodthirsty red as he the fanatic looked up to see the bright light fly from the bow at him. When the arrow made contact with his skull, his whole body jerked and his body was thrown off his feet as if he was hit with a blunt weapon. The other fanatics saw this brutal display and were reluctant to charge the misthios. There were six of them and only one of him, they had the advantage, but none of them were eager to be the first ones to charge.

Alexios straightened himself out and made no move to pull out his spear as his eyes looked back to the edge of the burning forest. The fanatics didn't seem to pick up on what the misthios was looking at as they gathered their courage to attack. Before they could attack however they heard the battle cry of the Daughters of Artemis, who were just now coming out in force. They lined up with arrows at the ready to strike down the fanatics should they attack. Tanya made her way to the front and pulled out her sword before raising her voice.

"Lay down your weapons, if you don't comply we _will_ kill you." The followers looked at one another then to the misthios and the sisters, weighing their options. They generally fought with religious determination but this battle, wasn't one for their beliefs. They were ordered to attack to capture a single person, the Daughters of Artemis leader; her sisters were to be used as sacrifices but never before had they put so much force into one attack.

And they've never seen the Eagle Bearer. He took out six of them with only getting a scratch that didn't seem to slow him down in the slightest. They've lost groups across the Greek world whenever the Eagle Bearer was sighted in that region and from what they could gather, the misthios had slaughtered their groups in close proximity to one another. Meaning, they had known he was there, and when they rushed him all at once they _still_ fell to his spear. With him allied with the Daughters of Artemis, the remaining Followers of Ares could not hope to be able to defeat them both.

Weapons fell to the sand as the fanatics got on their knees with their hands above their heads signifying their surrender. The huntresses encircled them as two picked up their weapons while the others kept an eye on their prisoners. Tanya walked up to the misthios who was putting his bow on his back before facing her.

"Are you alright?" The ebony beauty was quiet and stares intensely at the spartan who raised an eyebrow in confusion. For a moment both were completely silent and the air finally became uncomfortable for the misthios, before he could speak to break the silence, the huntress did first.

"I would like to thank you for assisting me and my sisters."

 _Ok wasn't expecting that. Honestly looked like it was painful just for her to say it._

While he certainly wasn't expecting a thank you from the huntress and would've heckled everyone else over it but decided to politely nod as she turned away to see her sisters. With the battle over, Alexios began wondering if Ikaros had found Daphnae yet when a thought occurred to him.

 _Where are the Priests, Elders, and brutes?_

Usually whenever he came across the Followers there would generally be at least one brute and one priest, so far all he's seen are baseline fanatics. As he was thinking about this a shrill cry broke him out of his line of thought. Looking up, he saw Ikaros dive bombing to his position before braking right in front of him and began screeching in his face while flapping his wings.

"Ikaros calm down what has gotten into you?" The spartan couldn't calm the excited eagle as it began scratching at his chest before taking off again. The misthios did not like the frantic look in his longtime companion eyes. It bode ill feelings inside the spartan so he decided to see what the eagle was flying so fast toward. Looking through Ikaros's eyes, he swept over the wall of fire beginning to die down to see a dead brute lying on the ground.

 _Ok there's one now where's the priest?_

When Ikaros dived toward the treeline and flew a bit further away from settlement, that's when he saw what bothered the eagle so much. On two horses was another brute with a priest on each horse yet his had a body on the back. It was Daphnae, she was unmoving, her hands were tied behind her, and from what the eagle could see there was a line of blood going down the side of her face. Alexios snapped the line between him and Ikaros and whistled for Phobos frantically. He took off towards the horse who heeded his call before shouting to the sisters.

"They took Daphnae! They're heading southwest toward Pilgrims Landing!" Not waiting for them to respond the spartan spurred Phobos forward at a brisk pace. He couldn't ride straight through the forest due to the dying wall of fire so he had to go the long way around and before long he was speeding by the temple of Artemis where he first met Daphnae.

Ikaros was ahead keeping the two riders in sight at all times relaying their position to the spartan. They were halfway through the Sacred Lands of Apollo and were at a pace that he couldn't catch up before reaching Kirrha. Fortunately they'd have to dismount their horses or be noticed by the spartan army that occupied the small town. Also his ship was still docked in Kirrha so they shouldn't be able to outrun the Adrestia if they were planning to go out to sea. Spurring Phobos more he made it two thirds of the way through the Sacred Lands before they made it to Kirrha and Ikaros saw them dismount their horses.

The brute took Daphnae and placed her on his beefy shoulder as the priest took the lead and guided them into the town. Ikaros kept them in his line of sight until they went into a warehouse on the western edge of the town. The eagle circled the building to keep watch on all sides to ensure they couldn't slip out undetected as the misthios finally made it to Kirrha. Not wasting any time the spartan sprinted into the small town knocking people over as he took to the roofs and hopped from building to building.

When he finally made it to the warehouse, Alexios climbed the side of the building hoping for a opening to look inside and have an idea of what was in there. He managed to find one in the back and could get a look inside, there were large bags of what seemed to be rocks and powders littered throughout the warehouse. There were also bookshelves line with papyrus and desks with large books on top of them. In the middle of warehouse were three more followers; one priest, and two brutes.

The priest and brute who just arrived, dropped Daphnae onto the floor in front of them. "We've brought her as we were ordered to but our followers have taken heavy losses, why has Harpalos sent so many of us to capture this one woman?"

 _Harpalos...I know that name, he's one of the people Herodotus suspected as a cultist. After their gathering, he was in the wind until I found a note on one of his followers, he should be based in Keos. Why would he want Daphnae?_

The priest flanked by the two brutes walked forward and backhanded the priest who spoke before speaking. "You do not have the right to question our leader! When he speaks you listen and follow his command as if it came down from Ares himself! Do you understand?" When the priest meekly nodded it was clear that the other priest was the clan chief while the other was just a priest.

"As for our followers, they have given their lives to Ares and shall be rewarded on the eternal battlefield of the gods. Pray you be as brave as them." The clan chief walked to the prone form on the ground and knelt down before grabbing the huntress's hair and pulling it back to see her face. Rage began to flow in the spartan's veins at the way that _bitch dared to touch her_. But he kept himself still, they took her for a reason, bursting in now would get him no new information.

"As our leader commanded, we've kept an eye on the Eagle Bearer and researched every aspect of his life. From the shithole of Kephallonia to city of democracy Athens, we've watched and waited. We weren't the only ones, these so called Daughters of Artemis have interfered on a number of occasions. They never attacked, no they only brought more attention to our leader and that is something we cannot have. We've dealt with regional leaders to combat this but more and more of these _savages_ scoured the Greek world. This meant that all of them were searching for information about the Eagle Bearer which included information about our leader. Thus the order must've come from you, our spies tell us that you've put the misthios on the path to prove himself to Artemis. He may not know what lies at the end of that path but _I do_. And we cannot allow that to pass."

The clan chief let go of the huntress before looking up to the other priest. "Ready, our ship for departure we sail to Keos." The clan chief began to walk away toward the front door of the warehouse before stopping and turning her head to look back at the three brutes.

"Also…" She quickly pulled out her bow and arrow before firing a shot directly at the window the spartan was peeking through. The misthios lost his grip on the building and fell on his back as he heard the clan chief from inside the warehouse.

"Kill the misthios!"

The Eagle Bearer rolled to his feet and sprinted toward the front of the warehouse hoping to catch the clan chief. When he rounded the corner a large blunt swung around the side and clotheslined him, making him fall on his back once again. The breath was momentarily knocked out of his chest as he struggled to his feet to face the two brutes and priest. Brute closest to him looked ready to take another swing at the downed misthios but was harassed by a screeching eagle who bought his companion enough time to get to his feet. Unsheathing his sword and spear the spartan got into a ready stance and waited for them to attack first.

Unlike most of the enemies he's battled over the years, the Followers of Ares had a particular penchant for counterattacks. The brutes would take his attacks before catching him with one of their heavy attacks whenever he overextended or tried to put more force behind one of his strikes. The priests were even worse, they would counterattack after almost every attack with a vicious amount of speed that made selecting impossible. So now he was forced to wait on their move, fortunately they were in front of the warehouse so if the other two decided to move Daphnae he'd see where they'd go.

The brute on the left made the first attack, raising his blunt with the intention of smashing the spartan's head. The Eagle Bearer used his spear to block the blunt at the wooden handle as it sailed above the brute's head then kicked the brute's right leg forcing him to take a knee. The priest decided it was now her moment to strike as she thrust her spear forward making the spartan take a step to the side and pushed the blunt he had blocked with his spear, over to the priest. The blunt landed on the spearhead and forced it into the ground pinning the priest from using her spear. Alexios was about to stab the brute who was getting to his feet when the last brute was leaping toward him with his blunt behind his back.

The misthios rolled out of the way as the brute brought his blunt down, giving his companions time to recover. Facing his three opponents again, the misthios focused his spear to glow again and leaped with it and his sword out in front of him. The brute closest to him was grazed at the abdomen as the spartan flew by, the priest managed to get out the way in time but the other brute didn't. He felt the two blades pierce his chest a second before the mass of the spartan's body collided with him putting him on his back with his enemy on top of him.

The Eagle Bearer didn't seem done as he raised his blades before bringing them down in an attempt to finish the brute. The brute managed to bring his arm up to stop the two blades from ending his life and stifled the roar of pain that threatened to tear from his lips. Turning his head to his other two opponents the spartan rolled out of the way of another heavy swing of the large blunt before sparta kicking the brute away. He then faced the priest who was already charging with a spear thrust. Sidestepping the weapon, the misthios tried sweeping her feet so that she could fall and end up on his spear but she hopped over his foot and was already thrusting her spear again.

Dodging to get out of her reach, the misthios noticed that he was surrounded by the three followers. Raising his spear in the air as it began to glow brighter, he brought it down releasing a shockwave that pushed back his opponents a few feet and stunned them. Not one to miss an opportunity, the spartan brought down his blades on the brute he grazed before and killed him. Kicking him off his blades the spartan quickly sheathed his sword and pulled out an arrowhead then sharpened it on his spear.

Seeing his remaining two opponents recovering, the spartan quickly notched the arrow and let it fly to the other brute, killing him when it lodged into his throat. That left only him and the priest squaring up to one another. He pulled out his sword and spear again before circling the follower as she did him. A tense moment passed before they launched at one another, they traded blows to one another as if they were dancing.

When he'd attack she parry then thrust which he would side step before throwing another attack. They danced for a time before she made a mistake of trying to slap him across the face with the back of spear when she thought he overextended. The misthios took a step back watching the spear hit air before raising his blades in the air and bringing it down knocking the weapon out of her hands. The Eagle Bearer wasted no time in slashing both her legs and stabbing her arm into the ground with his sword, all the while relishing in her pained wails. He was about to finish her when he heard Ikaros screech from above him, looking up he saw the eagle was harassing an archer perched on top of the building. He was so absorbed in his battle with his three opponents he didn't consider reinforcements.

 _Good thing I got Ikaros._

He readied his bow and was about to silence the archer as soon as Ikaros got clear but he was too late as an arrow went through the archer's skull. The eagle looked startled for a second as the body tipped forward and was about to crush the animal if it hadn't flapped his wings to get out of the way. Watching the body hit the ground, he traced the trajectory of the arrow to see Tanya standing on the adjacent building putting her bow away. It seemed that the ebony huntress followed after Alexios alone as he rode to rescue Daphnae.

Jumping off the building, she landed in front of both Alexios and the wounded priest. "Did you find our leader?" The spartan gestured toward the warehouse. "I last saw her in there before these three showed up." Tanya wasted no time and strided into the warehouse making Alexios follow after telling Ikaros to watch the priest.

When they both walked in they noted it was empty, no one was there.

 _How is that possible, I was the front entrance the whole time there's no way they could've snuck past me and Ikaros. Unless they left when Ikaros came to help me._

Tanya kneeled down and picked up an object and stared at it intently for a moment as she held it tightly in her hand. When Alexios looked over his shoulder to see what it was, his eyes clouded in a grim facial expression. In the huntress's hand was the ruby tiara that Daphnae wore on her forehead. Walking up to the huntress, Alexios put his hand on her shoulder before speaking with taut rage.

"We _will_ get her back Tanya, no matter how many of those _malakes_ fanatics we'll have to go through." The huntress nodded as they both walked out to interrogate their new prisoner.

Daphnae eyes were heavy as she forced them to open, the first thing she realized was that she was being carried on a beefy shoulder. Her head was pounding and she longed to rub her head to relieve some of the pain. That's when she realized her hands were tied behind her back. She rotated her hands to test the knots that bound her hoping to find some slack but found none.

Her movement must've alerted her captors because the beefy shoulder threw her to the ground. Her head hit the wooden planks and made the pounding increase so much she closed her eyes to try and calm her mind to block out the pain. Before she could even begin, she felt a meaty hand grab her hair and pull her body up until she was in a sitting position.

"Look at me." A stern feminine voice commanded the huntress but she refused as she still tried to calm her mind. A stinging slap jerked her head to the side as the beefy hand kept a grip on her hair and wouldn't let it go far.

"Look. At. Me." Sending a quick prayer to Artemis that her facial expression showed nothing of her pain, the huntress forced her eyes open as she looked up to the ash white face of the clan chief. "It's good you're finally awake, I need to prepare you before you meet with our leader." The priest bent down so they were eye level and grabbed the huntress's face so she couldn't look away.

"You will show the proper respect and will only speak when spoken to is that understood?" Daphnae held her gaze before whispering to the priest.

"You all are going to regret attacking the Daughters of Artemis, especially you. I will personally offer your corpse to the goddess of the hunt when I'm done with you." The priest said nothing as she raised back up to her full height to look down on Daphnae.

"It seems that you require some discipline that will have to grant you. Fortunately the bandits your misthios cleared out when he first arrived to Megaris had ways of instilling that discipline." No sooner had she said that did two fanatics come up with a large urn filled with water and placed it in front of the huntress.

"You sure you won't behave?" The priest got an intense glare as she nodded to the brute behind her. Without warning, the beefy hand pushed Daphnae's head into the water. The world began to darken as black spots danced in her vision as she tried to hold her breath but couldn't stop some water from slipping in. Before her world could go dark, the beefy hand pulled her out for air and faced her toward the clan chief.

"How about now?" Daphnae could only cough as she tried to expel the water that seeped into her lungs. When she felt she removed enough water, the huntress shot her leg back and into the brute's shin, then she used her other foot to sweep the brute's feet from under him causing him to let go of her hair as she got back into a sitting position with a teasing smile.

The priest growled before forcing her head into the water again, only this time they didn't bring her head for air and instead watched her legs kick involuntarily.

 **Hey guys another update hope you guys like it please drop a review and i'll try to get two more updates before Christmas, please review.**


	6. Chapter 6

Tanya and Alexios walked back outside to check on the pinned priest that Ikaros has been harassing since they went into the warehouse. Every Time she'd try to push the bird away, Ikaros would back off then dive with his talons at the ready aiming for her one free hand. The misthios whistled and his faithful eagle disengaged the woman and was replaced by an angry huntress who pulled out a dagger then placed it at the priest's throat.

Tanya made the woman look up into her suffocating glare, before bring her lips next to her ear and whispering. "I've seen your kind as I traveled across Greece, the way you treat your victims is horrifying to see but to me it reminds me of animals. You all decapitate and impale human bodies and stick them outside your caves dissuading any who'd be stupid enough to approach. But to me, I think of animals, we do the exact same thing when we kill animals but there's one thing your kind hasn't done..."

The huntress increased the pressure on the knife watching the priest freeze in terror until the weapon broke skin and the woman began to bleed. "...none of you have ever skinned one person, you kill and show off your spoils the same way we do our animals but I haven't seen one body skinned. I myself have never skinned another person also but I've skinned many animals and I doubt the process is any less different between a person and an animal. So unless you wish to be my first attempt at making a pelt out of a person, I suggest you tell me where I can find the woman you kidnapped."

The priest's were wide with fear and she looked back down to the sword pinning her to the ground then back to Tanya, she seemed to be considering her options. An eagle screech brought her attention to the misthios standing out the way with his spear twirling in his left hand.

"Even if you managed to free yourself from both that sword and Tanya, I can promise you won't be able to avoid me."

Realizing there was no way out of her predicament, the priest nodded as she tried to calm herself down. The blade at her throat jerked a bit as the huntress began to grow agitated at the priest's lack of an answer.

" _ **SPEAK!**_ "

"The Marooned Bandit Camp!" Alexios sheathed his spear and stepped forward remembering the location. "The bandit camp off the coast of Phokis? That's where you've taken Daphnae?" The priest nodded eagerly as the dagger at her throat receded a bit.

"We were going to set sail from the dock here but with your arrival they decided to use the camp that we occupied after your visit. There's an underground tunnel in the warehouse that leads to the outskirts of the city, they must've taken her through there." Narrowing her eyes, Tanya swiftly reached over and pulled out the sword pinning the priest to the ground before tossing it at the misthios then jerking the priest to her feet.

"Show us."

The amount of taut rage that was in her voice cut into the priest's very core as she carefully lead the way with the dagger still at her throat. The three walked inside the warehouse to see it still lined with crates and tables. "Over there at the far left under those crates you'll find a trap door." Following the shaking finger, Alexios walked over and began pushing looking under the crates to see a hidden door.

Pushing a crate out the way, he flipped the deadbolt and watched the door fall open. The other priest must've moved inside then had the brute put the crate over the opening to hide the door. "They must've escaped this way before I engaged them. It might be faster if we split up, you follow the tunnel and see if you can catch up to them, I'll take our prisoner to the Adrestia and sail to the camp hopefully I'll be able to find their ship and sink it before it can escape."

Tanya said nothing as she pushed the priest over to the spartan and jumped down the trap door. Catching the woman, Alexios couldn't help but admire the huntress's determination and loyalty to Daphnae. They must've been a lot closer than just fellow members of the Daughters of Artemis, the raw emotion in the ebony's eyes said as much. Perhaps, Tanya had certain feelings for the huntress, Greece was a very diverse place with many different opinions. There have been times where Alexios has seen same gender couples display their affection, Alkibiades tried to convince him to try himself.

 _I may be open minded, but I'm not_ _ **that**_ _open minded._

Shaking his head, the spartan pushed the bleeding priest towards the front of the warehouse. Hopefully they'll be able to catch Daphnae before she leaves Phokis, he didn't want to think of the monstrous things Harpalos would do to her. Especially since she'd taken interest into the one person who could threaten his deity Deimos, from what information the spartan gathered Harpalos worshipped the ground Kassandra walked on.

When he took over the Followers of Ares, he pledged their numbers to his sister's armies, Alexios was always on his hit list because of his digging around for information as well as his bloodline. But Daphnae might've been dragged in by just associating with the misthios and it would kill him if the Cult used her against him.

 _Gods I beg of you, please let me reach her in time._

* * *

Water began to explode out of the huntress's mouth as she finally regained consciousness, she kept coughing up water until she could finally take a breath. Realizing she was seated on the ground with her weight on her legs, Daphnae tried to stand but felt a tug at her wrists. Angling her body to look behind her, she was barely able to see a wooden beam with her hands tied behind it. Judging from the pull at her wrists when she tried moving her legs, she deduced the knots tied her ankles to her wrist behind her back.

Knowing that there would be no slack in the knots that bound her the huntress decided to take in her surroundings to see if she could find new opportunities. She seemed to be in a store room there were boxes with nets along the walls as well as rolls of what seemed to be heavy parchment. So far there wasn't much she could use to escape however, if she was free from her bonds she could see a few places she could conceal herself.

Obviously they confiscated her weapons as well as the hidden dagger she kept on her person at all times. But when Daphnae leaned her head back and still felt her bun in place, a smile began to spread along her lips. While most women woved their hair into itself and kept it in place with twine, Daphnae had a golden pin she kept in her hair, it was about a long as the width of her head and thick enough to remain unseen yet not break if smashed against rock. The huntress had carefully sharpened one of the ends to a point for situations like the one she was in at this very moment.

Now the question was how could she get it in her hands with them bound behind her back. As she contemplated this, a sudden lurch shook the room, as soon as it occured the room was righted almost immediately. That's when it occurred to her, she was on a ship. The nets on the wall secured the boxes so they wouldn't move around too much and the tossing and turning was the waves hitting the ship. So if she could get her pin out of her hair then she should be able to catch it when it rocked over to her.

First she needed to get used to the rocking of the ship to time when she should drop the pin out of her hair. It took a moment of concentration but the huntress found the rhythm of the waves and began to carry out her plan. Carefully, she rubbed her hair against the beam where she knew the pin lay. After a few tries she felt her hair begin to loosen and when the boat rocked at the right moment she pushed out the pin and heard it clatter to the floor. Out of the corner of her eye she watched it roll to the side for a moment before rolling back against her leg, lifting the appendage she managed to push it toward her hands where she placed her shin to keep it from shifting. It took a couple of tries to work her fingers to grasp it but soon she was able to get it between her fore and middle finger.

Firmly grasping it in her palm she began working the pin against the ropes and let a smile spread across her beautiful features when she heard the sound of the pin slowly unraveling the rope. A few more minutes was she needed until she would be free but it seems that the gods didn't feel like granting those precious minutes. The door to the room began to open alerting the woman, quickly she worked the pin into the wrapping that covered her left forearm to conceal it should they check her bonds.

Two fanatics entered the room and closed the door behind them, before looking down at the bound woman who glared in response. Before Daphnae had passed out from being put in that urn she remembered the priest promising to teach her discipline before reaching their leader. Perhaps now was the time they chose to attempt to break her. Not that it would work, she was the leader of the Daughters of Artemis and have been tested most of her life, she would not given them a _damn_ thing.

 _ **Especially**_ _my submission._

However the priest wasn't here, one would think she wouldn't want to miss out in trying to break her. One of the fanatics stepped forward and looked back to their comrade. "Block the door." The pasty white face of the other fanatic split into a sick grin before unhooking one of the nets and placing a box against the door and sat on it to keep it from moving too much. When the fanatic that spoke first looked back to the huntress, the hair on the back of her neck began to stand when she recognized the look he was giving her.

 _Lust._

* * *

 _ **An hour earlier...**_

Alexios had the Adrestia leave port with his prisoner in tow, she was bandaged up and had her hands tied to the beam. Barnabas was atypically quiet, when he noticed the distressed look on his face and his prisoner. Herodotus had a pensive expression on his face but also said nothing as they made a beeline toward the bandit camp. When the camp came into view the crew could not see any ship and the spartan turned to the priest with an intense expression.

"What is your ship called?"

Throughout the voyage the priest had been quiet also, glancing off into the distance after Herodotus had patched her up as they made preparations to leave. The white powder that covered her face was washed off which revealed a younger woman with porcelain skin and emerald eyes. During the brief time with the scholar, they had a conversation that continued to plague her mind.

" _It's not very often that Alexios would bring a wounded follower of Ares on his ship, from what he's told me, I can't see him offering a place on his ship for one of you." The priest winced as the old man began stitching up the wound but she couldn't move very much with the ropes binding her to the chair she was sitting on._

" _He didn't offer me a place, he's using me to find that huntress of his, after he does I assume he'll kill me." Herodotus hummed in thought for a moment before speaking up. "From what I understand your cult has no grudge with the Daughters of Artemis, why kidnap one of them especially knowing it would earn you the wrath of the Eagle Bearer?" The priest looked away and remained silent as she was being treated, when the older man finished, she spoke._

" _In the Followers of Ares, there is a rank system; Harpalos our leader, the priests, enforcers, then just the average follower. You do not question your superiors, doing so would earn the wrath of Ares. Harpalos ordered her capture and we obey, no matter what we think. Following him will bring honor to Ares and that is enough for any devoted to the god of war." The older man nodded as he took in the information but couldn't help noticing the look in her eyes when she explained, they looked as if she was trained to say the words but didn't believe them._

" _Why did you join the Followers of Ares, you are young and have your whole life ahead of you. I've met a few followers throughout my travels and could feel their devotion to Ares when I spoke with them. When I speak with you, I don't get the same feeling, you seem to be just going through the motions but none of your heart is in it." The priest lightly scoffed before turning back to the old man._

" _Does it really matter, when you find that woman, I'm dead. There's no point wasting time explaining myself to you when there will be no trace that I mattered in the grand scheme of life." She was certain that Herodotus would agree and drop the subject but was surprised by the slightly firm yet supporting hand on her shoulder._

" _Nothing has no point and there is no such thing as wasting time, even when things die they do leave a trace. One in their belongings and minds of the ones that they left behind, and even if you will die soon, I will always have a trace of you in my mind, just as I have of the many that has been where you are and have risen above their situation."_

 _With that Herodotus left the woman alone to her thoughts which began questioning the course of her life. She began to remember why she joined the Followers and realized it wasn't even her choice and that the historian was right. She went through the motions but never put her heart in it. There were times she could've left but the same reason she joined was the same reason she never left._

" _And that isn't changing anytime soon."_

Looking back to the misthios she responded with an even voice. "The Chimera. You'll know it by the black flags and white symbol of Ares." Alexios nodded as the island camp began to come into view and on the coast was indeed a ship that began to sail. Without even ordering his companion, Ikaros raced ahead of them to get a closer look of the ship and screeched when the very same symbol was on the mast.

"Rowers to your stations, we are going to catch that ship!" The crew of the Adrestia immediately sprung into action as they pulled out the long paddles and began to row with all their might. The wind flew past the spartan's face as he pulled out his spear and began to twirl it in his hands. There was no escape now, for them to reach Keos they'd have to go around the entirety of Sparta then pass a few islands before reaching their destination. The entire voyage would take half a day and they could already see the ship, there was no way the Chimera could outrun the Adrestia for an that long.

 _Daphnae, we're almost there just hold out, please…_

 **Hey guys sorry for the long break I've been really busy settling into my new unit and I apologize for the short chapter but fear not I'll have at least a 5k one up by the end of this weekend. This one was on the short side because I wanted to hit ya'll with that cliffhanger with Daphnae, come on need to give y'all a reason to come back you know. Please hit a review and I'll update even faster. I'll catch you all soon enough have a nice one.**


	7. Chapter 7

The fanatic walked with his hands fiddling with the sash at his waist and his eyes drinking in the sight of the huntress helpless at his feet. Daphnae glare darkened as she she tensed in anger with a twinge of fear when she knew what they intended. She said nothing as the fanatic raised his hand and as he was about to touch her face, the huntress lashed out and bit into his hand... _hard._ The fanatic screamed in pain as he instantly tried to pull his hand out of her mouth.

Daphnae was quite aware she could taste blood in her mouth and bit even harder into the hand. Pain gave way to rage as the fanatic began swinging his fist against the woman's face trying to get her to release him. The first punch dazed her but she only bit harder into his hand in response. The second got her to loosen her jaw a bit as the third got her to release his hand. Black dots danced in her vision for a moment as the fanatic held his hand close and glared at the missing skin her teeth had taken. All the while the fanatic at the door, laughed at his comrade's pain.

"You should've known better, at least you didn't pull out your fun stick and give her a shot at it." The fanatic with the injured hand glared at his friend before striding up and back handing the huntress with his uninjured hand. He was tempted to do so again out of anger but felt a hand on his shoulder, turning back he was face to face with his friend's stern expression.

"Look the priest may want her beaten but not by us, that's her personal grudge I wouldn't get in between that over something trivial of her giving you a bite mark. Lets just have our fun and go, don't forget she's a woman also so she might not approve of our actions." The calm fanatic walked over behind the huntress and began loosening her binds. Daphnae was dazed yet she still tensed in preparation of the moment when she'd be able to jump out of her binds as he loosened them. Unfortunately the other fanatic had other plans, before she could prepare to execute her plan a hand was wrapped around her neck and pinned her to the beam.

Hateful eyes with a lustful gleam stared back into hers as the hand began to squeeze, cutting off her air supply. The huntress was also aware she felt his bleeding hand on her left thigh to keep it from moving. "Any more tricks and I'll make you regret the day you were born." Air came flowing back as the grip on her neck loosened enough for her to breathe. Too busy with trying to regain her breath she missed the fact her legs were free were being pulled in front of her one at a time.

She _did_ however, notice the other fanatic walking to her front with her leg in tow before dropping it and moving to the other. A part of her mind registered she had a free leg the fanatic with her hand around her throat, wasn't tracking. Unfortunately, with him so close she couldn't use her leg to attack. So she didn't move as the other fanatic her leg to her front then took position behind his comrade. With both her legs in front of her the fanatic holding her began to sit while maintaining his grip on her neck, forcing her to rise with him.

When she was standing on her feet, the fanatic put both his hands on her thighs and pinned them to the beam as he began to pull at her attire. This instantly brought a flash of anger to burn in the huntress and before she could attempt to fight against the man's hold, a vicious back hand struck her cheek and split her lip. Her intention must've reflected in her face because the other fanatic was inches from her face with a hand around her throat.

"Remember, no more tricks." If the shit eating grin on his face wasn't enough to anger her then his next action was. The _disgusting_ germ of a man had the gall to lick her across her face, before she was so sure she was going to kill the man in between her thighs first.

 _Looks like Artemis has other plans._

While the man in between her legs worked her attire off and the other was getting licks across the skin of her neck and collarbone, the huntress got the pin from her armband. She gritted her teeth when she felt the man's breath on her bare thighs, she would wait until she got her arms free then she'd unleash a fury that the gods would be wary of, all she needed was a little time. She remained silent as she worked, she wouldn't given these men the pleasure of hearing her scream, even when she felt hands on her breasts and her forbidden area, her mouth was clamped shut.

The ropes began to give way as she noticed the fanatics between her thighs had stood up and grabbed her behind. When she felt his member lay against her inner thigh, raw anger exploded in every fibre of her being. She barely felt the ropes tear from her wrists as she stabbed the man grabbing her breasts in his neck barely giving him time to cry out when she pulled it out. Blood splattered over all three of them but the fanatic between her thighs was frozen in fear when he felt hand close around his throat.

He stared into two honey colored eyes with fury in both, and watched like a paralyzed prey would its predator as the woman leaned in. "His death was swift because I could only take my time with one of you, he didn't touch my most sacred body part with his filth so his death was quick. Yours will not be."

The next couple of minutes inside the room was silent, until the huntress walked out with her hair and attire the exact same as it always have. The only thing that was out of place was the blood on her finger tips, her digits were completely red as if she had been finger painting. At her waist was the fanatic's sword, she appropriate if after her escape and began to silently make her way along the ship. She knew she couldn't kill everyone on this ship, ideally if the ship close enough to an island she could jump ship and take her time swimming there when she was sure the ship was gone.

Leaning against a wall she slowly opened a door to find herself in the rower section of the ship. Currently there was no one inside, so she snuck in and looked out one of the windows in the wall to see if she could find a landmass anywhere. Luckily she could see one getting closer, all she needed was a distraction to draw the crew away from the deck so she could escape. But what could cause a big enough distraction? Deciding she should just explore until an opportunity presented itself she continued silently through the ship.

There were some fanatics and brutes who would walk past her as she hid every so often but so far she was one level away from the deck without any ideas. It was as if Artemis had heard her prayer when she stumbled across a tub of coal with some flint rocks piled next to it. She now had an idea, grabbing a handful of rocks from both stashes she tore off some cloth from her robe and ignited it and watched it catch fire. When there was enough she tossed into the pile of coal and watch them begin to burn. She waited until she could see flames begin to climb to the surface before she kicked over the tub and watched the burning rocks begin to catch the ship on fire.

Knowing someone was bound to hear the commotion, Daphnae quickly left the room and hid behind the staircase that led to above decks. Smoke began to billow from the room she was just in and before long a couple fanatics raced down the stairs to investigate. When they passed she made her way back to the store room they were holding her, if she could reach that room she could light the heavy rolls of parchment that was in the room it would take time for them to burn. Hopefully it would be enough time for her to make her mistake and by the time they realized she was missing the fire would spread enough to where it would make it improbable to turn around and chase after her. All she needed to do was reach the room and put the coal in each crate and roll of parchment.

She took her time, avoiding each and every fanatic that made his way past her, she couldn't afford any mistakes if she was to escape. When she finally made it to the room she was happy to see no one had discovered she had escaped. Stepping over the bodies of the two filth that dared to touch her, Daphnae began executing her plan but stopped when she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"I honestly didn't mind the fact that you killed those two, they were never respectful towards women even me. I was planning to kill them after completing this task but you saved me some work, for that, I won't kill you but I will teach you discipline." Before the huntress could grab her stolen weapon and face her opponent a beefy hand had already pinned her to the wall with a slender one pulling the weapon out of her reach. She felt another beefy hand grab her wrists then brought them to her side where more ropes were tied onto them once more. She then felt two hands grab her elbows and pull her toward the door that led outside the room. She was taken to the deck of the ship and was forced to her knees in front of the mast.

The priest gathered all of the fanatics around the huntress as she circled the bound woman with a leisure pace. "Brothers, today we have lost two of our own to the misguidence of this foolish woman. We are not sad because of their departing, rather we celebrate their ascendance to join Ares on the eternal battlefield. However, their ascendance was not in the service of Ares but were stolen by this woman who kneels before us. If our master had not commanded us to bring her to him, we would send her to the eternal battlefield to face our brothers. That doesn't mean we cannot offer them something else from her."

Daphnae turned her head to look defiantly at the priest when she saw a fanatic give her a black whip. The woman pretended to examine it knowing the huntress was watching. Without warning, the priest snapped it forward barely missing Daphnae and everyone in earshot flinched at the sound it made. Two fanatics approached the woman and ripped the robe exposing her bare back to the priest who lined up her aim. The huntress faced forward and prepared for the strike but was surprised when she heard an eagle's screech.

Ikaros dive bombed out of the sun's image like a heavenly arrow from the gods themselves. His claws were already out and were locked on to the surprised priest who could barely see the shadow rushing towards her. The eagle seemed to be aiming for the woman's face with the intention of clawing out her eyes but decided to change course and grab the whip from her hands then flew off with it. Everyone was stunned at the new development that no one noticed a rain of arrows falling towards the front of the ship. When the screams of the dying alerted the Followers to their imminent danger, they then noticed a ship making a beeline for them.

Daphnae watched the eagle fly away with nothing but gratitude in her eyes but when she turned to see a ship heading towards them. Her heart swelled when she recognized the sails that her scouts had said Alexios favored on his ship the Adrestia.

* * *

Alexios had the Adrestia sailing at full speed in pursuit of the Chimera, they were catching up to ship bit by bit that he sent Ikaros ahead to see if he could find Daphnae. They were off the coast of Lakonia, as they followed behind making sure to never to get too close and tip them off to their intent. Barnabas was looking at a chart before coming over to the spartan.

"Alexios, we must be cautious, this area is known to have bounty hunter ships and with all you've accomplished a few might recognize the Adrestia." Alexios didn't even consider the possibility of a bounty hunter, his vision was focused intently on the ship in front of him. Once he had Daphnae aboard his vessel then he could worry about everything else. "We won't be here long, we're almost in range…" Before Barnabas could ask, Alexios roared in anger before yelling at seemingly no one.

" _ **Ikaros! Get the whip out of her hands now!"**_

The old man was taken aback when the misthios addressed his crew. "Archers take aim on the front half of that ship, if any of them hit the back half, I will personally and quite literally kick you off my ship!" The crew of the Adrestia hurriedly took aim and waited for the signal to fire. Alexios raised his hand as he waited for a moment, when he saw Ikaros fly away with the whip he gave the signal and watched the arrows fly into the fanatics manning the front half of the Chimera. As soon as he did, he roared to the men below to bring out the oars and row to increase their speed.

The spartan had told them to rest because he planned on having them ram the Chimera so he needed his rowers to be physically capable of keeping up a fast pace. When he felt the Adrestia lurch into a faster pace, a deranged smile split across his lips as the ship got closer and closer to theirs. The Chimera turned and attempted to give them a broadside of arrows to slow their advance but the Adrestia sped up and before the fanatics could notch their arrows, Alexios was sprinting toward the ram and prepared to jump when he was in range.

Barnabas's shouts for him were mute in his ears as each step he took brought him closer and closer to Daphnae. Over the ram, he could see her kneeling form and beautiful honey colored eyes watching him run to her. Nothing would stop him, he didn't need the crew of the Adrestia, he intended to kill everyone on that ship for daring to take his huntress from him. They were so close, he stepped over the railing, and took his final step on his ship before preparing to soar as the Eagle Bearer to save the woman he chased after with a religious passion. Her eyes were filled with hope and happiness before they widened in absolute fear from something beside him.

His whole world violently lurched and he was thrown off his ship, as he fell he saw another ship with black flags ram into his with tremendous force. The last thing he registered before hitting the water was the woman he thought so much of, screaming his name as he fell below.

 **I apologize, really I do, I said 5k and I only gave you all 2 and a half and it's been almost a month. I don't know what's wrong, I think it might be because I've decided to give Assassin's Creed Odyssey a break until I get my brand new PC which should be here tomorrow because my current one has been burning up really bad. I got into Frozen to cope with some relationship issues but truly I apologize for taking so long to update. I will try to make a better chapter next time, hopefully next weekend because I'm trying to dedicate one day a week to one fanfic. Please review and don't hate me too much, I'll catch y'all later.**


	8. Notice

To the readers who are still reading this fanfic and to the guest that review the other day. I would first like to apologize for putting this fanfic on hiatus. things have not been that great and my other Fanfic Hidden In Black Ice was a personal project that has been helping me cope with my issues. now that it's really beginning to take off, I plan on finishing it first before I focus on any other fanfics as it takes some time to write a chapter as well as plan it out so there are no continuity errors. as for this fanfic, I cannot say when or if i will revisit it and try to finish it. I had some ideas on how it could go but to be honest it rarely ever crosses my mind and if i did try to knock it out, it would be half assed which none of you deserve to read. I am still debating on if I should keep it up or tear it down because I can pretty much guarantee for at least another year there will be no updates for it.

Thank you loyal readers.

Please send me a pm if you wish to contact me and I will get back to you as soon as possible.


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